The ceremonial water ewer (Sanskrit: kalasha; Tibetan: ril-ba) is used in Buddhist rituals of ablution and consecration, and is a symbol of purification. During ceremonies, when a Buddhist priest sprinkles disciples with the "Water of Life" or "Nectar of Immortality" from the vessel, he bestows blessings. The water ewer is the symbol of Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future. It is also an attribute of the 8000-armed form of Avalokiteshvara (the Bodhisattva of Compassion), who uses it to relieve the thirst of all beings and purify their despondency and negative karma with the gentle waters of its compassion.
This morphological form of this Tibetan ewer derives from that of a Central Asian, Islamic, or Indo-Islamic water vessel (aftaba), such as AC1995.52.1 and M.83.2.2. Its silver filigree and gem-encrusted inlay indicate it was made by a Newari artist in Tibet or working for the Tibetan trade. The bulbous middle component of the tall neck is an auspicious water pot. The rock crystal stopper above the mouth is a Tibetan choten or stupa (funerary monument). In the center of each side of the body, the rock crystal knobs are engraved with mystical diagrams (yantras). The circular white jade plaques forming the sides of the body are translucent to allow the numinous utterances written underneath to be visible.
Pratapaditya Pal has suggested that the "deft incorporation of the auspicious water pot and the choten into the design may indicate that the ewer was once used for rights connected with Amitayus" (Eternal Life), the transcendental Jina Buddha who presides over the Sukhavati Paradise. (Pal 1990, 297, no. R25)
See also M.75.10, M.85.295.2a-b, and M.2011.157.1.
